Gianthold looks to me like … a Fallout. Some EXTREMELY powerful magic had ggone loose - and kind of "frosted" everything in that area into crystals … The smaller ones of Elves, Men and of all other creatures have surely long been eroded during these … millennia ? - But the Dragons and the Giants stayed, albeit removed of their individuality.

And the Giants there are just … different. I bet the folks there withi Stormreach don't even know they exist ! - I assume that they believe Brawnpits is actually an intellectuial height of the hill giants, and even the Phiarlan illusionary "museum"lists only a fire giant … They all don't know of the *real* Giants out there …

All in all, it was impressive. And I had 2 rare encounters there.

Yesterday I finally did "Into The Deep" of the Red Fens with my Level 16 ranger.
I think I used up 4 hours for that.

My first run was kind of successful, until I died in the Demon Pit, and my hireling too. With that, I had lost one complete hour.

I decided to get it done, kind of a speed run, because I already did know the mines at that point, and re-entered as fast as I could. According to Murphy's Law, the quest wasn't active anymore when I stood before its entrance. But I entered.

My new hireling (the other's contract had run out) was a level 15 or 16 hireling i had originally bought for Gianthold. She did her part very well.

This time I didn't die, because I knew the drill. Destroy the little portals as soon as possible ! - With this tactic it was finally manageable, although it was still awesome slow to get the demon down.

And THEN I did the other quests !

Only much, much later - after completing the last main uest - I learned that the Demon Pit should have been the last part in the story … Oh, my. Originally, I had expected to find one of the palace's water elementals to be there, not in the Royal Temple …

I now have the Siren's Set.

I'm not going to do it again within the next days.

— “ Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.“ (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)